A federal judge has dismissed a civil lawsuit filed by Annie Altman against her brother, OpenAI co-founder and chief executive Sam Altman, ending a high-profile legal battle centered on allegations of abuse dating back decades. The case was thrown out by US District Judge Zachary Bluestone after Annie Altman refused to appear for a scheduled independent medical examination, despite explicit warnings from the court that non-compliance would result in dismissal.
Annie Altman originally filed the civil complaint in January 2025 in the U.S. District Court in St. Louis, Missouri. In her lawsuit, she accused her brother of subjecting her to repeated sexual abuse and rape at the family home in suburban Clayton, Missouri. According to the court filings, the alleged incidents began around 1997 when she was three years old and he was twelve, and continued until 2006, with some of the later allegations occurring after Sam Altman had reached adulthood. Sam Altman, who is now 41 years old and rose to global prominence following the 2022 release of the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, has consistently and strenuously denied all allegations.
The dismissal was triggered by procedural non-compliance regarding court-ordered evaluations. Judge Bluestone noted in his ruling that the plaintiff declined to participate in the independent medical examination required by the judicial process. Laura Politi, an attorney representing Annie Altman, did not immediately provide a comment following the judge’s decision. Santos Perez, another lawyer who had previously represented Annie Altman in the litigation but withdrew from the case earlier in the month, issued a brief statement indicating he was no longer authorized to speak on the matter while adding that he continued to believe in his former client.
Representatives and legal counsel for Sam Altman did not issue an immediate statement following the dismissal. Throughout the proceedings, the Altman family has maintained that Annie Altman faces documented mental health challenges and had previously received financial support from family members. Sam Altman previously stated that the public accusations emerged on social media only after the family declined to meet further demands for financial funds from his sister.
The federal court docket reflects the formal closure of the lawsuit following the plaintiff’s failure to meet the medical examination requirements established by the court.
